I had just put $200 (about 74pounds) on Chelsea tonight.. wish me luck...:D

What are the Odds?

In a modern slot machine, the odds of hitting a particular symbol or combination of symbols depends on how the virtual reel is set up. As we saw in the last section, each stop on the actual reel may correspond to more than one stop on the virtual reel. Simply put, the odds of hitting a particular image on the actual reel depend on how many virtual stops correspond to the actual stop.

In a typical weighted slot machine, the top jackpot stop (the one with the highest-paying jackpot image) for each reel corresponds to only one virtual stop. This means that the chance of hitting the jackpot image on one reel is 1 in 64. If all of the reels are set up the same way, the chances of hitting the jackpot image on all three reels is 1 in 643, or 262,144. For machines with a bigger jackpot, the virtual reel may have many more stops. This decreases the odds of winning that jackpot considerably.

 

The losing blank stops above and below the jackpot image may correspond to more virtual stops than other images. Consequently, a player is most likely to hit the blank stops right next to the winning stop. This creates the impression that they "just missed" the jackpot, which encourages them to keep gambling, even though the proximity of the actual stops is inconsequential.

 

A machine's program is carefully designed and tested to achieve a certain payback percentage. The payback percentage is the percentage of the money that is put in that is eventually paid out to the player. With a payback percentage of 90, for example, the casino would take about 10 percent of all money put into the slot machine and give away the other 90 percent. With any payback percentage under a 100 (and they're all under 100), the casino wins over time.

 

In most gambling jurisdictions, the law requires that payback percentages be above a certain level (usually somewhere around 75 percent). The payback percentage in most casino machines is much higher than the minimum -- often in the 90- to 97-percent range. Casinos don't want their machines to be a lot tighter than their competitors' machines or the players will take their business elsewhere.

 

The odds for a particular slot machine are built into the program on the machine's computer chip. In most cases, the casino cannot change the odds on a machine without replacing this chip. Despite popular opinion, there is no way for the casino to instantly "tighten up" a machine.

 

Machines don't loosen up on their own either. That is, they aren't more likely to pay the longer you play. Since the computer always pulls up new random numbers, you have exactly the same chance of hitting the jackpot every single time you pull the handle. The idea that a machine can be "ready to pay" is all in the player's head, at least in the standard system.

 

In casinos today, gamblers will find a wide variety of slot-machine designs. In the next section, we'll look at some variations on the standard game.

Originally posted by Nelson MainFella

y not give up your job then and make a living out of it ??;) :D

 

Cos I'm dont know any sport well enough to do so.

However I do have the odd bet and I have probably bet £250 ish over the 4 years I have worked for The Tote at http://www.tote.co.uk and I have won a lot more than I have lost, because I pick and chose my bets.

 

 

Originally posted by Nelson MainFella

What is truly random - does it really exist ?

 

The closest thing to a random number is a lottery machine. A computer makes a random number by using a value used from interupting its cycle. I watched a program on online gambling where they use algorythems to simulate shuffling the cards. One Maths student worked out the suffle sequence by what cards he got while playing. He then wrote a program which when he input his cards which only he could see, it would then work out what the other people had and what cards where coming up and it was right 100% of the time. Being a consience person he didnt exploit it but told the casino.

 

 

 

Originally posted by Nelson MainFella

Wrong. Look on howstuffworks.com. Every time a fruit machine is played, the odds are the same (or virtually if u wanna get pedantic Zimon). There's no way to play them. It's a phallacy

 

Not true. Every slot machine in every pub now says 70% pay out. How can it work out what percentage payout if it doesnt fiddle the result. They are programed to pay out after so much is put in. Take for example ones with £200 jackpot. Many times I have seen them pay out the full amount and it is statistically possible to win 2 time on the trot, but it never happens.

How many times have people been playing on a fruit machine got on the, game like thing in the middle where you role a dice or the number spin round, you get nearly to the end. Out of numbers 1 to 12 numbers 3 and 8 are losers and everything else is a winner. You take your got and ooooo, what a surprise its a 3.

 

You say yourself that machines stop just before the jackpot making you think you are close put more money in for 2 maybe 3 goes on the trot, and yet you say its random. How can it be?

 

You also say that Casino cant "Tighten up" the slot machines, but I disagree. Ever play an arcade game and you do really well and you play it some where else and you are rubbish. Why? Because there are switches used to make it harder. I am sure slot machines are the same or you can plug a machine into it to change it.

 

If you are so sure that the thing is totally random, go to a casino sit by the machines and just watch. After a while you will be asked to leave, and its not because you are not gambling its because people make money this way.

 

My friend worked in a pub for a while and he knew the slot machine there, he would watch it for days and then one evening say to me its ready to drop and go on it and 50% of the time he would win the jack pot and 40% of the time would win more than he put in.

LOL - he already makes money from it - he works for a betting web site. It's the only sure way ! :D

 

Originally posted by Nelson MainFella

y not give up your job then and make a living out of it ??;) :D

The odds of winning can be adjusted - I agree, but the machine cannot alter the odds of a win between different tries. I still don't believe that about knowing when a machine pays out - ppl use all kinds of reasons to justify their gambling. If that guy was so good, was he rich ?? Don't think so ! why is that then ?:confused:

Nelson is talking about US fruit machines.

 

UK fruit machines don't work in the same way. In the UK, it is possible to work out vaguely when *some* machines are due to pay out and hence win more often than not.

 

As our fruit machines also have features you can play, then there is also the possibility of a bug in the programming that means, for example, you can take certain wins on certain features and the machine won't 'realise' it's paid out that money. These are known as 'emptiers' as the machine can be played until all the money in the hoppers has been paid out. These don't generally last all that long though as the companies tend to very quickly rechip the machines to correct the fault once the information becomes widely known.

 

There are several machines I've played over the years that I've *always* won on. That is a FACT, not some b*llocks I've picked up from a web site! :D

Originally posted by AndyP

LOL - he already makes money from it - he works for a betting web site. It's the only sure way ! :D

 

 

Hehehe.

That is true, the odds on sports betting is always infavour for the betting shop. If there is a tennis match and they are both the same ability, the odds will be 5/6 each. So if you bet on both you will lose.

 

Stuart

Originally posted by Nelson MainFella

What is truly random - does it really exist ? ;)

 

Yes,

 

The lottery is a good example - its an analog machine and so produces random selections.

 

As stated by others it is possible to discover the algorithm being used in computer to produce what are know as pseudo-random numbers - using statistical test for randomness they pass but discover the algorithem and you find that they are not.